1 . A rich burial was unearthed by archaeologists at La Almoloya, southeastern Spain that is the cradle of the El Argar civilization, which lived in the region during the Bronze Age.

La Almoloya was a primary center of politics and wealth in the El Argar territory, and although the discovery was made in 2014, experts are now taking a closer look at the sociological and political context of the unearthed treasure.

The remains of a woman, along with a man who may have been her husband, were discovered in the forested hills of the area. Radiocarbon dating suggests the burial happened around 1700 BC. The pair were found with 30 objects containing precious metals and semi-precious stones, including the silver diadem (王冠), which encircled the skull (颅骨) of the woman.

Experts believe that the man in the grave was probably a warrior; wear and tear on his bones indicate he spent a lot of time on horseback, and his skull had deep scars from a facial injury, while gold plugs through his earlobes indicated he was someone of distinction.

The woman, named the “Princess of La Almoloya”, was buried a short time after the man, with vast quantities of jewellery: bracelets, earlobe plugs and rings, to name a few. The grave goods of the woman were worth tens of thousands of dollars in today’s money.

“We have two ways of interpreting this,” says archaeologist Roberto Risch of the Autonomous University of Barcelona. “Either you say, it’s just the wife of the king; or you say, no, she’s a political personality by herself.”

Risch is a co-author of a study that was recently published about the important findings, that noted the building under which the grave was found was of equal importance—a building specifically dedicated to governing purposes in Western Europe. A wide hall was excavated (挖掘), with high ceilings, a raised platform, and a capacity for more than 50 people to sit on benches that lined the walls. “It’s a building where people could be sitting listening to each other, or to someone explaining something,” says Risch, “There is no evidence of food and no clear-cut religious artefacts, so it doesn’t look like a home or a temple.”

The discovery at La Almoloya shed new light on the politics and gender relations in one of the first urban societies of the West. Previous findings have revealed that women were considered adults at a much younger age than boys were. Excavated grave goods have highlighted that girls as young as six were buried with knives and tools, but boys would be in their teens by the time they would be buried alongside such objects.

Additionally, the graves of some women from EI Argar were reopened generations later to bury other men and women, an unusual practice that experts believe would have been a very high honor. “What exactly their political power was, we don’t know,” Risch adds. “But this burial at La Almoloya questions the role of women in [Bronze Age] politics... it questions a lot of conventional wisdom.”

1. The woman discovered at La Almoloya ________.

A．proved to be a princess during the Bronze Age

B．was buried long after her husband’s death

C．lived in an ancient society called El Argar

D．was holding a silver diadem when unearthed

2. The man in the grave was believed to be a warrior mainly because ________.

A．he had gold plugs through his earlobes	B．he was buried next to the woman
C．he was buried with knives and tools	D．he had injuries and scars on his bones

3. According to Risch, the ancient building seemed to ________.

A．have been used for political meetings	B．have served some religious purposes
C．be the first temple built in Western Europe	D．be specially dedicated to food trading

4. What can be inferred from the discovery at La Almoloya?

A．Women were buried with more riches than men in the Bronze Age.

B．The role of women in Bronze Age politics had been overestimated.

C．Women may have been powerful rulers in the El Argar civilization.

D．Women were considered adults at a much younger age than boys.

4 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

“This belongs to Iraq.” reads the poster held by Iraqi student Zeidoun Alkinani at the Babylonian Ishtar Gate in the Pergamon Museum of Berlin.

Excavated and acquired by German archaeologists in     1     is today’s Iraq, the Ishtar Gate is one of the many artifacts shipped back to Western countries prior to World War I as part of a larger trend by European colonists across the Middle East. In 2002 Iraqi officials urged Germany to return the gate.

There are still no plans made for its return. The viral image does, however, bring to light the long-argued debate between museums in the US. and Europe     2     the ownership of ancient artifacts and the objects countries of origin.

Another example of the stolen artifacts displayed in Germany is the famous bust of Nefertiti a statue     3     (represent) the pharaoh of Egypt Akhenaten’s royal wife. Around 1340 BC the bust was constructed of limestone, gypsum, and wax in Egypt.     4     ancient items usually show their age with time passing by, it seems     5     (have) relatively little effect for the bust of Nefertiti. Its shape remains largely undamaged its colors are intact and the face of the queen appears unsullied by age.

It is rare to find so pristine an ancient figure in the modern era. The bust     6     (unearth) by German archaeologists in 1912. The following year, it found its way to Germany and     7     (stay) there ever since. In 2011, the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities sent a request to the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation for the artifact’s return. It is in the museum run by the foundation     8     the bust is now displayed. However, the foundation replied that the bust was obtained legally and Egypt has no grounds to reclaim it.

The Supreme Council of Antiquities explained “This request is a natural consequence of Egypt’s long-standing policy of seeking the restitution of all archaeological and historical artifacts     9     have been taken illegally out of the country.

The foundation’s president disagreed:“The bust of Nefertiti is and remains the ambassador of Egypt in Berlin. Besides, the long trip home     10     cause permanent damage to the delicate statue.”

5 . 阅读下面短文,在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Columbus was born in a port city of Italy in 1451. As a teenager, he loved sailing and showed great interest in geography,     1     encouraged him to begin his career as a seaman.

Columbus insisted on searching for a direct sea route to the East Indies     2     sailing across the Atlantic Ocean. After continuous efforts, he received support from the King and Queen of Spain. On 3 August 1492, he set off from Spain with three ships     3     (carry) about 90 sailors. Regardless of many challenges he met with on the voyage, Columbus managed     4     (keep) everyone out of danger with his knowledge and bravery across the ocean and     5     (final), on 12 October, people on the ships     6     (spot) land in the distance. Columbus called the natives living on the islands Indians because he believed that he was in the East Indies,     7     actually the place they had reached was America.

Between 1493 and 1504, Columbus found more land later. His major     8     (contribute) is that he “discovered” the New World and     9     (he) discovery encouraged explorers such as Captain James Cook to explore and discover more vast areas of the world. His voyages opened     10     new chapter of the Age of Exploration, a period which saw many important geographical findings. This period also allowed for an international exchange of ideas and cultures.

7 . Many people today think of the pyramids of Giza as the symbol of ancient Egyptian culture. But who actually built them? For years, we did not know for sure. Now, however, archaeologists have discovered an ancient city near the pyramids. Close by, there is a cemetery (墓地) where the pyramid builders were buried. From studying these places, archaeologists are sure that the pyramids were not built by slaves or foreigners.    1    

It took about 80 years to build the pyramids. Archaeologists believe that about 20,000-30,000 people took part in the construction.     2     Some dug up the rock, some moved it, and some shaped it into blocks. People also worked on different teams, each with its own name. Workers often competed to see whose team could do a job faster.

“We can see that in their skeletons(骨骼),” says Azza Mohamed Sarry El-Din, a scientist studying bones found in the cemetery. According to her research, the bones show signs of arthritis (关节炎)．    3     Archaeologists have also found many female skeletons in the ancient city and cemetery. The damage to their bones is similar to that of the men.    4     Male workers generally lived to age 40-45, but women to only 30-35. However, workers usually had enough food, and they also received medical care if they got sick or hurt.

    5     On a wall in Khufu's Great Pyramid, for example, a group of workers wrote Friends of Khufu. “It's because they were not just building the tomb of their king,” says Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass. “They were building Egypt. It was a national project, and everyone was a part.”

A．It still remains a mystery.

B．Ordinary Egyptians built them.

C．The workers took on different roles.

D．In fact, their lives may have been even harder.

E．They worked on the same jobs but competed to be the best.

F．The task was challenging, but builders were proud of their work.

G．This probably developed from carrying heavy things for a long time.